Newsletter

Business skills link with basics of golf in course

Golf pro David Usry (right) helps Matt Gullette with his swing during a weekly Augusta State University class titled Golf for Business and Life at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta.

Matt Gullette has been playing golf since childhood, but lately the accounting major at Augusta State University has taken even more interest in the sport.

He realizes the power that a casual game of golf will have once he enters the work force.

"Springtime is filled with golf tournaments, and it would be good to take clients out there," said Mr. Gullette, a junior.

He is one of 32 students who have signed up for the new Golf for Business and Life course being offered through a partnership between the Hull College of Business and the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science.

Craig Cooper, the course coordinator, says similar classes are offered nationwide, but he believes the program is the only one of its kind in the Augusta-Aiken area.

"It's designed for the students who are getting ready to graduate and enter the business world," Mr. Cooper said.

David Usry, a golf pro at Forest Hills Golf Club who is teaching the course, says he's seen many business deals made on the links through the years.

"It's a good place to bring new clients out and have a good time," he said.

The class, which is offered at four times and limited to eight students each, teaches the fundamentals of golf in addition to the finer points of mixing golf with business. Golf instruction takes place at Forest Hills, and the business portion is handled through an Internet-based course.

Mark Miller, the dean of the Hull College of Business, said the class is being well received and he believes the course will benefit his business students.

"We certainly believe that golf, in particular, is an excellent way for people to communicate," he said.

Start-up funding came from a $100,000 grant from the PGA of America in honor of Vaughn Taylor, a two-time PGA Tour winner and ASU business school graduate. The funds were donated to the university when he earned a spot on the 2006 Ryder Cup Team.

Dr. Miller expects the program to operate for five years before requiring additional funding.